Wisdom and Personal Transformation
I have always been an introvert, but I never realized how much my timid personality was holding me back. It wasn't until I began to make some necessary changes in my life that I finally felt like the person I am supposed to be. Throughout this journey, I've learned a lot about myself and about others as well. It's these little revelations that have enabled me to change by transforming into a more outgoing and joyful individual. This blog post will touch on all of these things and more, so without further ado, let's get started...
One of the aspects of my shy personality that I found to be very challenging was my fear of being judged by others. I recently read an article describing this same exact scenario when it comes to those who are introverts. It was a fascinating read and returned some memories from my own experience. Here's what the author, Sharon Meers, shared:
"The negative effects of social anxiety for introverts are well documented in psychology textbooks . They've dubbed introversion 'the Cinderella Syndrome' because we tend to be undervalued in comparison with extroverts.' It takes a lifetime for people to realize that 'we don't all think alike,'" Meers said. "Introverts are often mistaken for being shy or depressed. They are discouraged from being themselves. They are told to connect with others. If they do that, they may be labeled empaths, which is a bad word among introverts."
To me, this was a really interesting article and one that really stuck out to me because I have been dealing with the same exact problem throughout my life. My shy personality has caused me to feel like an outcast amongst the group of people I spend most of my time around. It's not until recently that I've been able to finally overcome this problem and become more confident in who I am as a person. This new-found confidence has allowed me to make important changes and become more outgoing and friendly toward people.
As an introvert, you have a way of being able to understand others very well and that is exactly why you are so compatible with being an empath. You understand how they feel and why they feel the way they do about certain things so you're usually able to know how to react in those situations. You are also very in tune with your inner feelings, which allows you to easily relate to others on a personal level. You are also very caring by nature because you always take other people's feelings into consideration. As an empath, you have the ability to understand others better than the average person which makes it easier for you to communicate with them and to understand what they're going through. You can easily relate to others because you've been there yourself.
"People who are highly sensitive, whether introverted or extroverted, grow up in a society where we interpret sensitivity as weakness. In reality these personalities have traits that are prerequisites for success," says Meers. "The world needs empathetic leaders, doctors and teachers. We need people who think deeply and creatively and bring meaning into what they do. We need more introverted leaders. Introverts are great listeners and make better leaders because they are observant."
I find this information to be extremely valuable to people who are introverts like myself. It's not often that you find other people sharing their own personal experiences with being an introvert, so it's always nice when you can connect with others who have a similar background. It's almost as if you feel understood by another person. I personally believe that society doesn't make it easy for introverts to feel understood, so it's always nice when you can find a person who has the same personality characteristics as yourself.
The next section of this post will give you some insight into one of the ways I have been able to overcome my shy personality and become more outgoing. It's very important to me that others understand how I've been able to make these changes and become so outgoing, so I will be sharing some personal experiences with you throughout this article.
If you have never read the book The Power of Introverts , by Christopher D. Smith, then you should definitely check it out because it really does a lot of explaining in regards to being an introvert. He describes three different types of introverts; which are, for lack of better words, extroverted introverts , adventurous introverts , and sensitive introverts .
The extroverted introverts are the ones that are usually seen as being very outgoing and talkative. They are normally the loudest when it comes to a group of people and they always have something to say. Their minds are constantly flooded with ideas and thoughts, which allows them to speak on a wide range of topics. Although they may be very outspoken, these kinds of people usually feel very tired after socializing for extended amounts of time. They do not like socializing for long periods at a time because they just don't feel as comfortable around others as other extroverts do.
I've always considered myself to be one of these kinds of introverts and I can tell you with 100% honesty that it has been a huge struggle for me over the years. I've always been very outgoing and talkative during my younger years, but as I've grown up, I've become more reserved and quiet in social situations. It's not that I don't like socializing anymore, I actually really enjoy talking to people, but for some reason or another, it just hasn't been the same anymore.
The adventurous introverts are described as having an active imagination and being interested in discovery. They are usually very intelligent individuals who are involved with many different activities outside of their daily lives. Although they are outgoing and talkative, their minds are stimulated more by their own interests rather than those of others. They enjoy being able to explore the world around them and to be able to search for new ideas. These kinds of introverts normally have a hard time talking about themselves and will normally avoid doing so.
The sensitive introverts are ones that find it hard to express themselves verbally. However, they are very good listeners and will take the time to understand what others are saying. They don't like having to be around a lot of people for long amounts of time because it's just not something they're used to.
Conclusion
There are many qualities that introverts share and I think it's very important to understand those characteristics. It's especially important to understand how to properly interact with introverts because they tend to get easily overwhelmed and overstimulated by their surroundings. I hope this article gave you a better insight into what it actually means to be an introvert, as well as some of the difficulties we go through.
If you have any questions or thoughts about this article, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. If you've never heard of my website before, be sure to check it out: www.introvertlifeawebsite.com .